Shirt gusset pressing machine



2 Sheets-Sheet l J. FABER. JR

SHIRT GUSSET PRESSING MACHINE Filed May 19, 1937 Nov. 8, 1938.

INVENTOR, 3, Pa b5 r, Jr, 8! 6m fa/w aMK ATTORNEY.

NOV. 8, 1938. FABER, JR 2,135,614

SHIRT GUSSET PRESSING MACHINE Filed May 19, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jil 5. B 15 INVENTOR, 7 An .7321, in,

BY gvawdgw.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Nov. 8, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIQE 7 SHIRT GUSSET PRESSING MACHINE John Faber, Jr., Haledon, N. 3., assignor to The Prosperity Company, Inc., Syracuse, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application May 19, 1937, Serial No. 143,432

1 Claim; (01. 33-42 I For pressing the gusset of a shirt, to wit, the portion of the sleeve between the elbow and cuff, there is provided a machine including what is termed a buck on which the gusset is arranged by the operator in as smooth condition as possible and adepressibleheadhaving a heated portion or iron which coacts with the buck to effect the pressing, the iron being usually formed to straddle'the buck. Usually, in order to press both gussets of a shirt at one pressing the bucks and ironsare duplicated. Incidentally, only one longitudinal half of a gusset at a time is pressed; that is,ihaving arranged a gusset on its buck so that one such half will be pressed the head is 1 caused to descend to press that half and when, the buck being raised, the gusset is arranged for the pressing of its-other longitudinal half the head is caused again to descend to press that half. The cuffs, it may be remarked, are pressed in another machine, usually previously. In pressing the gussets the cuffs are placed so as not to be between the bucks and irons of the head; that is, they are placed beyond the actual gusset pressing means relatively to the operator.

As these machines have heretofore been constructed the gussets were very likely to be left wrinkled so that they would be pressed with undesirable creases therein, especially when the machine was designed to press the gussets of both sleeves at once, because the operator was unable manually to maintain the gussets in such state until the head descended as to eliminate wrinkles or undulations in the gussets.

According to this invention I have equipped a gusset-pressing machine with means whereby the sleeve of a shirt may be held at its free or cuff end prior to the descent of the head and at least up to the instant when the head descends and begins its pressing action; with the sleeve thus held the operator, having smoothed the gusset on the buck, can maintain it without wrinkles, as by holding the sleeve forward of where the pressing is done and s0 stretching the gusset over the buck.

Given a machine of the class referred to, the invention includes a member coactive with a portion of the buck remote from its free or forward end to: form therewith a clamp and being movable from and toward the same. Preferably said member is normally urged toward the buck in any way, as by gravity, and there is releasable means in the machine by which it is held retracted. This means may take the form of a latching device and it may act to latch said member to the actual head of the machine, whereby on releasing said member before the head descends said member will coact with the buck to clamp the sleeve, as at the cuff, so that the operator can effectively remove and hold removed all wrinklestill the head descends to press, and when the pressing is completed and the head rises said member will be elevated with it. The latching device is preferably on the machine, as the head thereof, rather than on said member, and this permits resort tosimple means for effecting release of the latching device by the operators foot so that both hands remain free for manipulating the gusset on the buck. Where the bucks and headsare duplicated the-latching devices for both said sleeve-holding members thus provided may be released, as will appear, first one and then the other from a common control element, as a treadle, thus permitting the operator to clamp and adjust first one and then the other gusset.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a standard type of gusset pressing machine, here duplex, equipped with the present improvement;

- Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2, Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an isometric view of the latching assembly; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan, showing one of the sleeve-holding members coacting with the buck to clamp a sleeve at the cuff.

I denotes the bucks arranged on the table 2 of the frame 3 of the machine, the right-hand end of each buck, as shown in Fig. 1, being here taken as its forward end. The portion la of each buck forward of the section line 22 forms the rest with which the head member (to be referred to) coacts to press the gusset, and the portion lb back of said line forms a rest for the free end portion, as the cuff, of the sleeve, being the portion of the buck with which the head member is non-coactive to press. Both portions are usually covered with fabric and the former portion padded. A standard 4 of the frame upstands at the back and on a horizontal shaft 5 therein is pivoted the head member or head 6, usually bifurcated, as shown, and provided with a brace 6a; the head carries the usual pressing irons 1 formed to straddle the respective bucks and steam-heated, as through pipes 8. It is not material how the head is lowered and raised; usually, however, this is effected automatically, as by pneumatic means controlled by the manually operated devices a: and y. So much is a sufficient description of a standard duplex gusset pressing machine.

For each buck according to the present invention there is a holding member normally urged,

Each holding member may be latched'in retracted position in any way, but preferably as follows, thus to simplify the construction-and ob tain certain obvious advantagesin reference to the operation of such holding member.

The head of each holding member has an upstanding hook Ila. A bracket l2 is aflixed by bolts It to brace 6a and to this are secured housings M of the latching devices. The latches l of these devices are by springs 16 in the housings normally urged to protrude forwardly into the respective arcuate paths of movement of the hooks Ha, their beveled faces facing downwardly. Their rear ends also protrude from the housings and to these is connected a floating lever H. A flexible connection, as a cable [8, is connected to this lever nearer one latch than the other and, being suitably guided as shown, extends to a treadle l9 pivoted on the frame.

Assume the parts to be in the positions shown in Fig. 1. The operator places the sleeves of the shirt on the bucks with their gussets a and cuffs b respectively on their portions la and lb. The treadle I9 is then depressed sufficiently to cause one latching device, as the near one in Fig. 1, to

release the corresponding holding member, which then falls on the cuff to clamp the same. The gusset is then smoothed. The treadle is now pressed further and (the lever I! now having a coupled thereto so that when the head member next rises (by actuating the device 1/) it elevates said holding members with it. Fig.2 shows one holding member in coactive relation to the corresponding buck', and the other. still elevated.

Of course the invention is conceivably ap-' I plicable to other machines than for the pressing of the gussetsof shirts.

Having thus fully described my invention what I claim is:

The combination, with a machine for the purpose described having a pair'of bucks on which to lay the respective garment parts to be treated, of members confined by the'machine to move respectively in definite paths towardand normally urged into coactive clamping relation with the respective bucks, a pair of latches arranged on the machine and opposing movement of the respective members into coactive clamping relation with the bucks and retractable to release said members, a lever connecting and movable to retract the latches, and means to effect such movement of the lever connected therewith nearer'to one latch than the other. 1

JOHN FABER, JR.

Then, using 

